Abstract:

Introduction:
The paper deals with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on preschool and younger schoolchildren, monitored by kindergarten and primary school teachers. Educators assed changes based on comparisons with previous years not affected by the pandemic. The effects monitored mainly in verbal and nonverbal communication, speech comprehension, and the presence of communication disorders or difficulties, respiration, the frequency of upper respiratory diseases and others. Among the observed phenomena was also the behavior of children, their physical, mental and social aspects. The paper compares the results of a questionnaire survey among teachers from different regions of the Czech Republic (CR). This also means a comparison between schools from different areas of the Czech Republic with different air quality.

Methodology:
Online questionnaire survey for teachers from different schools from different regions of the Czech Republic with different air quality was used. It focused primarily on the effects of the pandemic on children's communication and respiratory abilities and the effects of anti-pandemic measures (e.g. wearing of protection pandemic veils or respirators). It was also investigated whether the number of so-called high-risk children (children prone to very common, almost permanent upper respiratory diseases) is not increasing. The questionnaire also focused on breathing, especially on the awareness of teachers about the correct way of breathing in children and, conversely, on the undesirable risky way of respiration. The teachers observed differences in the incidence of children with incorrect breathing before and after the pandemic.

Results:
It was analysed whether or not educators observe a deterioration of communication and respiratory skills in children after a pandemic. The consequences of the pandemic were also compared not only between individual schools, but also between the preschool and the younger school age groups. Furthermore, from the approach of teachers it was analysed whether there are differences between areas with worse and better air quality, and whether there are differences between individual regions of the CR. It was also found out what increase in communication disorders and other difficulties teachers most often noticed. The questions of whether or not the way of respiration in children had worsened because of anti-pandemic measures or whether communication disorders involve more articulation or more speech comprehension were also answered.

Conclusion:
Partial research confirms the importance of interest in proper breathing in preschool and early school age children. Communication and the way that children breathe reamins subject to many factors. Not only the environment (especially air quality) plays a role, but also the presence in early children's social group, preventive measures, wearing of protection pandemic veils and respirators and other factors. A comparison between different schools from different regions of the CR shows some specifics, similarities, differences. Above all, it emphasizes the importance of interest in children breathing, inducing the right way of respiration and the involvement of other educators or specialists in care of children exposed to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Teachers both in terms of speech production and in terms of speech comprehension observe consequences in the field of communication.

Keywords:

Preschool age, preschool education, breathing, speech resonance disorders, voice resonance disorder, speech-language therapy, special education, logopedics.